SEO Myths and Top Tools

Nearly any marketing strategy guru will tell you, and rightly so, that SEO is one of the most important and relevant moves that any brand should make. With search engine optimization, you are enabling your brand to gain more visibility, which in turn increases your brands bottom line.

While SEO is extremely popular aspect of any brand marketing strategy, there are also many myths that are floating around in the marketing world. Rather than relying on falsities, you can save yourself time and money when coming up with your next SEO strategy. In addition, there are also dozens of new tools out there to help maximize the effectiveness of your strategy.

Myth: Keyword Targeting is No Longer Necessary

Google is constantly changing, no doubt about it. However, many wrongly believe that these changes are making keyword targeting an unnecessary feature of today’s marketing strategy. The truth is that Google’s revamp of its algorithms has not impacted the necessary of keywords.

When working keywords into your content, it is becoming extremely important to use keywords in a manner that maximizes the value and quality of the content. Keywords should not be strewn mindlessly and should not be used excessively either.

Myth: XML Sitemap is Not Always Worthwhile

A new trend has been in the works lately, and that is the push to adopt what is known as an XML sitemap. Many individuals in the marketing field have this mistaken belief that an XML sitemap is necessary in order to improve your website’s search rankings. On the contrary, if you look at most of the top ranking sites, you are unlikely to find one that is using a Google XML Sitemap.

If you’re considering investing in a sitemap, then you should only do so if you are looking to create a website that can be crawled. This means that every time you issue a new post, the sitemap will submit the post to Google and other popular search engines. Subsequently, the site map will configure the post into your new search ranking. At the tend of the day, opting for the most traditional methods are what is the most effective option.

Myth: Once You Start Using SEO You Do Not Need to Update It

Unfortunately, there are many brands out there whose marketers have very limited knowledge of SEO. Many will say that once a SEO strategy is implemented, it does not need to be worked on, improved, and updated. This type of belief cannot be farther from the truth. It’s wonderful that you’ve decided to adopt SEO, but it becomes worthless if you are unable to maintain it.

Maintaining SEO is vital to keep up your rankings through avoiding outdated content, changing search engine algorithms, and link rot. Therefore, if you’ve started a SEO strategy, then you should always think of the next steps and how to improve your strategy. The effect that you notice will be the result of the effort that you decide to put in.

Myth: Keyword Spamming is a Successful Strategy

If your marketers are recommending that you should implement a SEO strategy that spams keywords into content, then its time that you find new marketers. One of the most prominent misconceptions in the marketing field today is that spamming keywords into text is what will improve your rankings.

Newsflash: Google and other search engines are looking for the most organic and natural content. Instead of focusing on the number of keywords you can fit into your content, you should really focus on the quality and relevance of the content to your brand and its audience.

SEO Tools: Wayback Machine

Thankfully, there are a number of SEO geniuses out there who have decided to make life easier for you and your marketing team by developing some excellent SEO tools. One tool that has been getting a great deal of media attention lately is the Wayback Machine.

The Wayback Machine is a unique tool in that it allows you to view your brand’s or other brand’s internet pages as they appeared in the past. This tool is most effective if you need to do some research into missing traffic and other details.

SEO Tools: Google Trends

Google never ceases to amaze just about anyone. Google has recently come out with a very helpful SEO tool known as Google Trends. This tool allows you to view the interest in a website over a certain time period. The trend tool will provide you information regarding changes in search query volume in terms of specific topics.

With this tool, you’ll be able to analyze the market and keep up with most of the changes that happen in your field. Finally, Google Trends isn’t simply useful for SEO purposes, but it can also be great for your writing team. With trends, your team can determine which topics are of most interest in your specific industry and write about those topics in order to attract an audience.

SEO Tools: MOZ Inbound Marketing

Moz is an inbound marketing tool that provides you with an array of useful tools. With Moz, you’ll be able to analyze backlinks, check out your brand’s data on twitter, view your business’s local citations, and it also provides you metrics for individual search results. In sum, Moz is an excellent option for those who want a detailed and specific SEO tool for their next marketing campaign.

SEO Tool: Google Analytics

This list would not be complete with Google Analytics. Google Analytics is the most valuable SEO tool because it helps you determine how your website’s visitors are using your site. With this type of information, you’ll be able to better plan your next marketing campaign to meet the needs of your users and to attract new target markets.

You’ll get the best feedback possible with this tool so that you can to more thoroughly understand where your brand stands. Overall, by using the tools available and avoiding SEO myths, you’ll be able to move your brand ahead to where you want it to be.

About Sean Donahoe

Sean is one of the most recognized industry leaders in business and marketing. As a popular speaker, author, consultant he has helped over 50,000 students world wide find success in their businesses and has consulted with Fortune 500 companies and businesses of every size grow and thrive...